Monday News, February 18

Squirrel To Blame For Loss of Power

(Le Mars) -- If you were listening to the KLEM radio auction on Saturday, you may have wondered why at about 12:15 p.m. the auction abruptly halted without notice, and you perhaps were also wondering why we were no longer transmitting a signal for just over an hour. The explanation is a squirrel was on a utility pole behind KLEM's offices and apparently had touched the wrong wires blowing up a transformer and resulting in KLEM, along with twenty other businesses and residents to be without power for a little more than an hour.

(Le Mars) -- At about 4:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon the Le Mars Fire and Rescue and the Le Mars Ambulance responded to an injury related accident that happened near 1240 Lincoln Street Northeast. Additional details concerning the accident are not known at this time.

State House To Take Up Education Bills

(Sioux City) -- This week the Iowa House will begin debate on an education reform plan that's a priority of Governor Branstad.Representative Ron Jogensen heads the House Education Committee. The Sioux City Republican says lawmakers are hoping to pass a plan to help regain Iowa's former standing as the leading state in public education.The House Education Committee has advanced a modified version of the plan which includes a four thousand dollar increase in teacher starting pay and options for bonuses for veteran teachers mentoring new educators.

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Jorgensen says parts of the plan were made optional because of concerns from rural districts.

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The Education Committee voted 13-10 on a straight party vote to send the plan to the full house. The Senate has already approved a different plan, focusing on funding instead of reform. Jorgensen says he's hopeful both chambers will reach a compromise by the end of this month.

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Council Bluffs Man Shoots Girl Friend and Himself

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) - Police say an Iowa man fatally shothis girlfriend before taking his own life this weekend. Council Bluffs Police Sgt. Chad Meyers said 38-year-old Stephony Metzger died Saturday morning in the bedroom of her mobile home. Police say that after 42-year-old Terry Francis shot his girlfriend, he shot himself. Francis and Metzger had dated for several years, but neighbor Jennifer Iwersen says Metzger had recently been trying to end the relationship. Metzger had three children between the ages of 12 and 18. The shooting was discovered after Metzger's 18-year-old daughter called police Saturday morning around 10:15.

Waterloo Man Found Guilty of Murder

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) - A 34-year-old Iowa man faces life in prison after his convictions for shooting his former fiancee and killing her mother in May. A Black Hawk County jury on Friday found Kevin Ambrose guilty of first-degree murder and attempted murder. Authorities say he shot former fiancee Marlene Buss, tried to shoot one of his own friends, Undray Reed, and fatally shot Buss' mother, Kay Straw. Buss had filed for a protection order against him on May 2. Ambrose's sentencing has not been scheduled. The first-degree murder conviction carries a mandatory life sentence without parole.

Branstad Wants To Forgive Doctors' School Debts

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Governor Terry Branstad's proposal to attract more physicians to Iowa's less populated areas by forgiving medical school debt is welcome news to longtime Keokuk surgeonDoctor Phil Caropreso. Caropreso says loan forgiveness might help students who want to practice in smaller communities like Keokuk, in southeast Iowa, but graduate with crushing debt. Branstad's plan, announced in January, would also increase the number of medical residencies in Iowa and try to reduce frivolous medical suits. A medical association report ranked Iowa 40th in the ratio of physicians to state residents, behind neighboring states Wisconsin, Minnesota and Nebraska. Lawmakers would need to approve the plan.

Anti-abortion Rally Scheduled For State Capitol Building

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds will join for a Statehouse rally in opposition to abortion rights. Nine groups opposed to abortion rights will gather Monday afternoon in the Capitol Rotunda to pray. They later will meet with lawmakers to discuss abortion-related legislation. Branstad opposes abortion rights but has declined to say whether he supported any abortion bills introduced this session. Jennifer Bowen, executive director of Iowa Right to Life, says this is the 10th anniversary of the annual rally. She says her organization supports a bill introduced by Republican Rep. Matt Windschitl of Missouri Valley that would ban abortions in which a doctor meets with a woman by webcam and canthen prescribe medication.

Companies Owe Iowa Money For Start-up Loans

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) - Companies that received incentives from Iowa in the past decade, but failed to deliver the jobs and investment they promised owe the state $7.5 million. The amount owed is about 11 percent of the total incentives paid. But some of the companies that owe Iowa money folded, so there's little recourse for the state. Iowa handed out $67.6 million between 2003 and June 30 mostly in the form of low-interest or forgivable loans. State economic development spokeswoman Tina Hoffman says incentives help Iowa attract businesses. Starting a business is risky, and half of all small businesses fail in their first five years. Curt Nelson with the Entrepreneurial Development Center in Cedar Rapids says he expects to lose three out every 10 start-ups that get incentives.

Car Chase Results in Fatal Accident

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Family members say the 33-year-old man who died in an Iowa police chase while his son rode along was a veteran who abducted his son last fall out of concern for hissafety. Family members of Jeremiah Johnson told The Des Moines Register he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Jeremiah Johnson's 5-year-old son, Johnnathen, suffered serious injuries when his dad's vehicle slammed into a parked police cruiser at roughly 130 miles per hour on Friday. The boy's grandfather, Duayne Johnson, says Johnnathen is expected to recover from his physical injuries. The boy was reported missing in November several months after his mother was awarded custody. Jeremiah Johnson's family members say he took his son because he believed the boy's mother was dating an ex-convict.